Gillware Digital Forensics Announces Rebrand to Tetra Defense and Secures $3 Million in Series A Funding to Accelerate Growth

MADISON, Wis.–Gillware Digital Forensics, Madison-based cyber incident response and proactive cybersecurity consulting firm, announces its rebrand to Tetra Defense and the close of a $3 million series A investment round. The rebrand and investment announcements follow a significant year of growth in 2019 and serve as the precursor for continued growth in 2020.

Mendota Venture Capital LLC led the funding round with participation from several investors. The investment is the first funding round by Tetra Defense since launching in 2016. The $3 million raised will help the company aggressively expand its team, sales and marketing efforts, as well as broaden and enhance product and service development. Nick Jackson, Principal at Mendota Venture Capital LLC, and Mike Victorson, President and CEO of M3 Insurance, will join the Tetra Defense Board of Directors.

“As cyberattacks and other incidents impact more organizations than ever before, Tetra Defense’s funding round and rebrand are well-timed to match the rapidly growing demand for cyber incident response and proactive information security services,” said Nick Jackson, Principal with Mendota Venture Capital LLC. “Tetra Defense is an exceptional provider of these services. We are thrilled to collaborate with and support them as they expand and continue to build an impressive organization in a growing industry.”

Tetra Defense, formerly Gillware Digital Forensics, helps organizations respond to and recover from cyber incidents like ransomware attacks, business email compromise and data breaches. Many victim businesses are brought to a grinding halt and cannot fully operate. Tetra Defense is one of the only incident response firms to assist with and prioritize restoration of operations to limit downtime. Additionally, Tetra Defense helps organizations develop effective information security programs and defenses to lessen the risk of a cyber incident with services including IT risk assessments, penetration testing, email phishing training, incident response plan testing and more.

“Businesses of all sizes are increasingly finding themselves at war with cyber criminals around the globe,” said Scott Holewinski, CEO. “This investment gives us the resources we need to build new and innovative tools and services to help our clients respond and defend against future cyber threats.”

About Tetra Defense

Tetra Defense, formerly Gillware Digital Forensics, is an incident response, cyber risk management, and digital forensics firm helping clients recover and restore from incidents like ransomware, business email compromise and wire transfer fraud. Services range from in-depth forensics investigations of intellectual property theft to the assessment and development of corporate information security programs. With offices in Madison and Milwaukee, the top-priority objectives for the Tetra Defense team are to help organizations get back on their feet after an incident and guide them through the process of building a more secure environment to lessen the risk of incidents in the first place. Tetra frequently works with insurance carriers and some of the nation’s largest and most respected privacy law firms to navigate cyber liability insurance claims and also works directly with businesses large and small to reduce their cyber risk.

Contacts
Lauren Reid
Director of Marketing
608-620-0482
lreid@tetradefense.com

Playground Gift Will Address Emotional and Developmental Needs

Madison’s historic philanthropic Attic Angel Association turned 130 in 2019 and held a fundraiser all year long to build a playground that will benefit children who experience trauma and other challenges. With the help of the community and a generous couple who provided a large matching gift challenge, nearly $75,000 in donations was raised and presented just before Christmas to The Playing Field early learning center in Madison.

The enormous gift – about 50% larger than planned – was greeted with excitement and gratitude from the children, teachers, parents and board members of the nonprofit child care center. With homeless children representing one-third of its enrollment, The Playing Field seeks to improve society by giving all children the start they deserve instead of letting them fall victim to circumstances. The special playground equipment will address the emotional and development needs of children who experience stress and trauma so that they and their families can learn appropriate coping mechanisms as early as possible.

Brigadier General Rob Palmer to be honored at promotion ceremony in Washington, D.C.

MADISON, Wis.—Jan. 8, 2020—Rob Palmer, Vice President of Government Relations at WPS Health Solutions, will be honored during an Air Force Reserve promotion ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10. The U.S. Senate confirmed Palmer’s promotion to Brigadier General on Nov. 21.

In his military role, Palmer serves in the Pentagon as the Mobilization Assistant to the Air Force Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

Palmer has attained the highest possible rank in the Air Force Reserve for a public affairs officer. He is responsible for providing public affairs policy and communications strategies to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and other senior leaders on critical issues like recruiting, readiness, operations, force structure, and personnel.

Speaking of his promotion, Palmer says, “It is both a tremendous honor and deeply humbling, and I know that I could have never done this without the help and mentorship of the unbelievable men and women with whom I’ve served.”

He typically spends 24 to 36 days a year at the Pentagon.

“I couldn’t be successful in the Air Force Reserve without the support of WPS Health Solutions President and CEO Mike Hamerlik and WPS Health Solutions as a civilian employer,” Palmer says.

“Balancing work, military, and home life is the greatest challenge any Reservist or Guardsman faces. For the civilian employer, the military, and the family, it requires a great deal of flexibility and understanding. For the Reservist, it requires a constant balancing effort.”

Since childhood, Palmer knew he wanted to serve in the military. “My dad was an Army Reservist when I was born,” he says. “I attended college on an Army ROTC scholarship and served in the Army National Guard until 2003 when I joined the Air Force Reserve.”

Palmer and his wife, Kim, live in Oregon, Wis., and have two sons. Grant is a theater student at DePaul University in Chicago. Andrew, a junior at Oregon High School, plans to apply for an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

“What has been really heartwarming for me is that Kim and the boys have been more excited about my promotion than I have,” Palmer says. “They should be, because it is as much theirs as it is mine.”

Palmer earned a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He also earned a master’s degree from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

Palmer joined WPS Health Solutions in August 2015. He represents the company to the Wisconsin Legislature and the U.S. Congress, state and federal agencies, and military beneficiary associations.

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans and their families. In 2019, the international Ethisphere^® Institute named WPS one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies^® for the 10th straight year. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

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Note to editors: Palmer’s military biography (with link to high-resolution photo) is online at https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2038403/brigadier-general-robert-p-palmer/

Savant Capital Management Recognized as a Top RIA by InvestmentNews

MADISON, Wis. (January 6, 2020) – Savant Capital Management, a nationally recognized, fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, IL, with additional locations in Madison and Park Falls, has been ranked by InvestmentNews as one of the Top 10 Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) in the Midwest. The ranking was based on total assets under management (AUM), with Savant earning the No. 6 spot with $6.1 billion in AUM.

The InvestmentNews ranking is based on data reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission as of Nov. 1, 2019, and does not include asset management companies or firms with broker-dealer relationships or firms that receive commissions.

“Team Savant works every day to deliver on our mission to help build ideal futures for our clients,” said Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant. “Recognitions like this are a reminder of the important work we do for so many individuals and families.”

Savant was also ranked by InvestmentNews in 2019 as one of the leading RIA firms of the year. The firm ranked #32 on the comprehensive list of more than 2,200 firms. The list was based on total AUM and is the 12th time Savant has been recognized on the nationwide list. To view the full list, click here.

About Savant Capital Management

Savant Capital Management is a leading independent, nationally recognized, fee-only firm serving clients for 30 years with more than $6 billion in assets under management. As a trusted advisor, Savant Capital Management offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan and family office services to financially established individuals and institutions. Savant also offers corporate accounting, tax preparation, payroll and consulting through its affiliate, Savant Tax & Consulting.

Savant Capital Management is a Registered Investment Advisor. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Savant’s marketing material and/or rankings by InvestmentNews should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that they will experience a certain level of results if Savant Capital Management is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of Savant Capital Management by any of it clients. Savant did not pay to participate in InvestmentNews Top Registered Investment Advisors in the Midwest survey. Please see Important Disclosures at savantcapital.com.

Solar for Good Program Helps Fund 13 Solar Energy Projects for Wisconsin Nonprofits

RENEW Wisconsin’s Solar for Good program will issue nearly $140,000 worth of solar panels to Wisconsin nonprofits as part of their fall 2019 funding cycle. These grants will go to 13 organizations across the state that together will install nearly 600 kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity. When completed, these solar projects will lead to over $1.2 million of solar investment in Wisconsin.

The following organizations have been offered Solar for Good grants to install new solar electric systems:

CAP Services, poverty alleviation, Stevens Point.

Camp Amnicon, outdoor retreat and spiritual worship, South Range.

Menīkānaehkem, Native American educational organization, Gresham.

Habitat for Humanity – La Crosse Area, affordable housing provider, La Crosse.

Jackson County Animal Shelter, safe haven for stray animals, Black River Falls.

Heartland Housing, affordable housing provider, Madison.

First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, house of worship, Milwaukee.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater La Crosse, youth education, La Crosse.

Bethel Lutheran Church, house of worship, Madison.

Movin’ Out, alternative housing provider, Madison.

Zwingli United Church of Christ, house of worship, Verona.

Kathy’s House, alternative housing provider, Wauwatosa.

One organization has asked to remain anonymous at this time.

This round of Solar for Good funding features a diverse group of awardees from across

Wisconsin. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater La Crosse will use their solar installation to help educate members on renewable electricity and energy efficiency for their recently-renovated facility. Over 200 solar panels will be installed at Kathy’s House, a hospital guest-house in Wauwatosa. And the Indigenous-led organization Menīkānaehkem, will install solar to power several tiny homes being constructed on the Menominee Indian Reservation to house the community’s homeless population.

“We decided to go solar to reduce our energy bills and to focus more of our resources on programming,” said Guy Reiter of Menīkānaehkem. “We plan to use the array as a training center for community members interested in pursuing a career in solar. Thanks to the Solar for Good grant, we are moving closer to our goal of making the Menominee community energy-sovereign as a way to create jobs, restore hope, reduce carbon pollution, and mitigate climate change.”

This marks Solar for Good’s 5th funding cycle and the second-largest to date. Including the fall 2019 funding cycle, the program’s impact will total 74 Wisconsin nonprofits installing 88 new solar arrays throughout the state. The program will add 3.25 megawatts of clean, renewable power to Wisconsin’s electric mix, enough to power approximately 650 homes. In total, these 88 solar arrays will spur over $7 million in investments in renewable electricity.

About Solar for Good

RENEW Wisconsin’s Solar for Good initiative fosters the expansion of solar power among mission-based nonprofits and houses of worship in Wisconsin. Through a generous partnership with Couillard Solar Foundation, RENEW Wisconsin awards solar panels to nonprofit organizations, helping them switch to clean, renewable, solar energy.

About RENEW Wisconsin

RENEW Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization which promotes renewable energy in Wisconsin. We work on policies and programs that support solar power, wind power, biogas, local hydropower, geothermal energy, and electric vehicles. More information on RENEW’s website: www.renewwisconsin.org.